John Turturro is Magnificent in The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

Having lived in New York for more than 20 years, I remember not so fondly the one time I was pickpocketed in New York City. It was on a Saturday in Macy’s where I was picking up a few things for my train trip to D.C.

When I reached into my satchel to pay for my products, my entire wallet was gone. This pickpocket had reached all the way inside my bag and lifted the wallet through various zippered entrances and took nearly $1k. I was devastated, young, dumb and naive. Why was I even walking around the city with that type of cash? Pickpockets rely on people like me with innocent little faces having no idea of the devastation about to hit their lives financially.

Harry Lehman (John Turturro) is an aging pickpocket who works his trade with ever-diminishing returns in a drastically changed landscape of New York. Wallets stuffed with cash have been replaced by easily canceled credit cards, and Harry struggles to make ends meet as he cares for his disabled wife, Rosie (Karina Arroyave). When he finds himself in the possession of a valuable USB stick attached to millions of dollars, Harry finds himself in a race against time to return the loot or face the rage of a vengeful crime family.

John Turturro’s gently calm demeanor is beautifully executed making Harry a lovable louse in the best sense of the word. One of my favorite moments is him dancing to Odyssey’s “Native New Yorker” is one of my favorite moments as it exhibits how a caretaker finds ways to entertain himself and his loved one.

Turturro also bring humanity to a man whose life would be snubbed as a common criminal. Harry’s entrance into the world of crime was to make a better life for his family. A family that includes his beloved wife Rosie is bedridden and a daughter who resents that his desire to steal felt larger than the love he had for her. Tatiana Masaly’s (Kelly) scene with Turturro on the her front porch is a commanding performance riddled with complexity and heart. In a surprise turn as a ruthless mob boss, Jaime Lee Curtis is fantabulous! Not to mention Lori Tan Chen as Gena.

Sam Levy’s puts New York front and center with cinematography that captures The Big Apple as the lovely, complicated asphalt jungle we have all come to love and adore it even more through his lens.

Director Noah Segan puts an unexpected face on caregiving that will sear your soul and enrich your heart. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is a beautifully complex film that illustrates men who have chosen this profession might work alone, but they don’t have to be lonely.